Question: Who is behind the massacre of trees at Jones Park in Appleton? Today 10 to 15 trees, including beautiful, healthy oaks, were cut down. Why is this happening?

Answer: The Appleton Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for the removal of the trees. It hired Ranger Services, an urban forestry management and consulting firm, to do the job.

Dean Gazza, Appleton's director of parks, recreation and facilities management, said 17 trees were removed from the north side of the park. They were a mix of ash, box elder, cottonwood, elm, locust and oak.

Another five trees were marked for removal on the south side of the park.

Trees that were hollow were removed from Jones Park to protect public safety.(Photo11: Courtesy of Appleton)

Gazza said the trees were cut down because they were hollow, split, leaning or dead and were deemed to be at high risk of falling down and injuring someone.

"Once they were cut down, you can easily see why we cut them down," Gazza said.

Other trees, even less desirable species like ash and cottonwood, were kept to preserve as much of the park's canopy as possible. "There are quite a few more leaning trees, but they are not endangering our pathway or anything else," Gazza said.